😥💥 Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ Bust Flat Kine, Mo’ Worry Fo’ Da Brand”
Eh, was jalike one slap to da face fo’ Pixar dis weekend, yeah? ‘Cause da new animated movie, “Elemental” wen pull in only $29.5 million at da box office. Was da worstest opening in da 30-year history of Pixar, no joke. 🎥👎 Even “The Flash” from Warner Bros. wen hit one snag too.
You goin’ hear guys talk, Pixar no mo’ da same magic on da big screen, brah. Was one rough takeaway from da weekend box office. Da “Elemental”, one original Pixar film worth ova $200 million, wen land wid one shocking $29.5 million in domestic ticket sales. 🎟️📉 An’ check dis, “The Flash”, one superhero show from Warner Bros. dat cost around $200 million, had hard time too, wen pull in only $55.1 million. Comscore wen confirm da numbers, dey da guys who take care all da ticket sales info.
Even David A. Gross, one movie consultant, wen say, “Hard fo’ cover up dis kine.”
People been wondering how Pixar doing since last June, afta Disney, who owns da studio, wen release “Lightyear” and bumbye had disastrous results. Everybody tinking, how Pixar, da studio we been looking up to for animated films fo’ nearly three decades, wen screw up big time, especially wid movie ’bout Buzz Lightyear, one OG “Toy Story” character? 🚀😲
Could be da ‘ohana still worried ’bout da pandemic, no ready fo’ go back movie theater. Or maybe, jalike some box office analysts wen tink, Disney wen make da Pixar brand less ’cause they wen use da movies fo’ boost da Disney+ streaming service. Since end of 2020, Disney wen debut three Pixar movies in a row – “Soul”, “Turning Red”, an’ “Luca” – online, never even go theaters. 🎬💻
By da streaming standards, those three movies wen hit big time. But last time Pixar wen do good at da box office was 2019, when “Toy Story 4” wen pull in $1.1 billion all over da world.
Da “Elemental” attendance ova da weekend wen show mo’ proof of da brand problem: Was da worstest opening-weekend result ever for Pixar in da U.S. an’ Canada. Da one befo’ dat was “Onward”, wen come in wid $39 million ($46 million if you adjust fo’ inflation) in domestic ticket sales in March 2020, right wen da coronavirus pandemic wen start spreading around da world. 🌍🦠
“Elemental”, one romantic comedy ’bout girl-meets-boy from different cultures, wen make extra $15 million in limited release overseas, Disney said.
Fo’ try make Pixar movies mo’ than jus’ kaukau fo’ Disney+, da company wen hold one premiere fo’ “Elemental” at da Cannes Film Festival an’ also in Los Angeles at da Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Movies dat get original story getting hard fo’ sell, especially now when going movies cost more an’ da economy all shaky. People like know dat spending da money gonna be worth it. Da animated movies dat wen do good, dey all about already known characters an’ franchises.
“If you no go big fo’ original stories, you no can make new franchises, an’ we wen go all in,” said Tony Chambers, Disney’s executive vice president of theatrical distribution. He wen add, “Original I.P. needs to work extra hard fo’ break through nowadays.”
Plenty families wen show up fo’ “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Universal) in April an’ “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony) early dis month. Maybe all da family movie budget all pau now, an’ guys know dey can watch “Elemental” at home pretty soon.
Some Hollywood an’ Wall Street people also worry dat Pixar’s one-time unreal creative spark starting fo’ die out. Da studio lost plenty talent; it wen cut 75 jobs last month as part of Disney-wide layoffs an’ cost cuts. Pixar also been pushed fo’ expand into TV production fo’ keep da Disney+ shelves full.
“Elemental” wen get mostly good reviews, but not as good as usual for Pixar movie. Da people who wen buy tickets wen give ’em A grade in CinemaScore exit polls. Da “audience score” on Rotten Tomatoes was 91 percent on Sunday morning. 🍅👍
Disney said in one statement dat da good reviews “set us up for a strong theatrical run through the school holiday period.” Da next big animated film fo’ families is “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (Paramount), which not gonna be in theaters till Aug. 2.
“The Flash” (Warner Bros.) wen get weaker reviews an’ da audience not too stoked — ticket buyers wen give ’em a B in CinemaScore exit polls — but filled enough seats fo’ be da No. 1 movie in da U.S. an’ Canada.
In some ways, “The Flash” had bad timing: Was delayed by da pandemic, finally came out when late night shows — crucial movie marketing platforms — are shut down because of a strike by show writers. Warner Bros. and its DC Studios division also wen say superhero fatigue was part why some of their recent comics-based movies, including “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Black Adam”, no do so good.
Ezra Miller, who played the Flash, became one controversial figure after plenty legal trouble and acting weird in 2021 and 2022. (The actor, who is nonbinary, wen apologize last year and said they were getting mental health treatment. They mostly neva do publicity for “The Flash.”)
“The superhero world is fantasy, escapist fun,” Mr. Gross said. “Everybody gotta play along. This no help.” 🦸♂️⚡
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😥💥 Pixar’s ‘Elemental’ Flops, Sparking Further Concerns for the Brand
It was a significant blow for Pixar this weekend as the new animated movie, “Elemental” only grossed $29.5 million at the box office. It was the worst opening in Pixar’s 30-year history. 🎥👎 Warner Bros.’ “The Flash” also struggled.
People are starting to voice their concerns about Pixar’s lack of magic on the big screen. It was a harsh reality check from the weekend box office. “Elemental”, an original Pixar film with a budget over $200 million, only made a disappointing $29.5 million in domestic ticket sales. 🎟️📉 “The Flash”, a $200 million superhero film from Warner Bros., also underperformed, earning just $55.1 million. These figures were confirmed by Comscore, the company that handles ticket sales data.
Even David A. Gross, a film consultant, admitted, “It’s hard to hide from these figures.”
People have been questioning Pixar’s performance since last June when Disney, the studio’s owner, released “Lightyear” which resulted in catastrophic box office returns. How could Pixar, a studio revered for nearly three decades for their animated films, make such a significant misstep, especially with a movie about Buzz Lightyear, an iconic “Toy Story” character? 🚀😲
Perhaps families are still worried about the pandemic and are not yet ready to return to movie theaters. Alternatively, as some box office analysts have speculated, Disney may have diluted the Pixar brand by leveraging their movies to boost the Disney+ streaming service. Since the end of 2020, Disney premiered three consecutive Pixar movies – “Soul”, “Turning Red”, and “Luca” – online, bypassing theaters completely. 🎬💻
By streaming standards, these three movies were successful. But the last time Pixar had a major hit at the box office was in 2019, when “Toy Story 4” grossed $1.1 billion worldwide.
The poor turnout for “Elemental” over the weekend provided further evidence of the brand’s decline: it was the worst opening weekend result for Pixar ever in the U.S. and Canada. The previous low was “Onward”, which made $39 million ($46 million adjusted for inflation) in domestic ticket sales in March 2020, just as the coronavirus pandemic started to spread globally. 🌍🦠
“Elemental”, a romantic comedy about a cross-cultural love story, made an additional $15 million in limited overseas release, according to Disney.
In an effort to elevate Pixar movies beyond mere fodder for Disney+, the company premiered “Elemental” at the Cannes Film Festival and at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
Films with original stories are becoming more challenging to sell, particularly in the current economy with high movie-going costs. Consumers prefer knowing that their spending will offer a worthwhile experience. Successful animated films tend to revolve around well-known characters and franchises.
“If you don’t invest heavily in original stories, you can’t create new franchises, and we went all in,” said Tony Chambers, Disney’s executive vice president of theatrical distribution. He added, “Original I.P. needs to work extra hard to break through these days.”
Many families attended “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” (Universal) in April and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony) earlier this month. Perhaps the family movie budget has run out, and people know they can watch “Elemental” at home soon.
Some Hollywood and Wall Street insiders also worry that Pixar’s once unparalleled creative spark is starting to fade. The studio has lost significant talent; it cut 75 jobs last month as part of Disney-wide layoffs and cost cuts. Pixar has also been pressured to expand into TV production to keep Disney+’s content library stocked.
“Elemental” received mostly positive reviews, although not as glowing as typical for a Pixar film. Moviegoers gave it an A grade in CinemaScore exit polls. The “audience score” on Rotten Tomatoes was 91 percent on Sunday morning. 🍅👍
Disney stated in a press release that the positive reviews “set us up for a strong theatrical run through the school holiday period.” The next major animated film for families is “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” (Paramount), which isn’t due in theaters until August 2.
“The Flash” (Warner Bros.) received weaker reviews, and audiences were less enthusiastic — ticket buyers gave it a B in CinemaScore exit polls — but it sold enough tickets to be the No. 1 movie in the U.S. and Canada.
In some ways, “The Flash” suffered from bad timing: it was delayed by the pandemic and finally released when late-night shows — crucial movie marketing platforms — were on hiatus due to a writers’ strike. Warner Bros. and its DC Studios division attributed superhero fatigue as one reason some of their recent comic-based movies, including “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Black Adam”, performed poorly.
Ezra Miller, who portrayed the Flash, became a controversial figure after a slew of legal troubles and erratic behavior in 2021 and 2022. (The actor, who is nonbinary, apologized last year and announced they were receiving mental health treatment. They did minimal publicity for “The Flash.”)
“The superhero world is fantasy, escapist fun,” Mr. Gross said. “Everyone has to play along. This doesn’t help.” 🦸♂️⚡
